Following the recent news that Matt Smith (Doctor Who, Terminator: Genisys) has signed on to play Prince Daemon Targaryen in HBO's Game of Thrones prequel series House of the Dragon, the actor has taken to Instagram to share a first look at the fire-breathing beast his character will ride into battle, Caraxes.
This appears to be another piece of concept art, though it's still very realistic depiction of Caraxes, who seems to be a different breed of dragon to the likes of Drogon, Viserion and Rhaegal.
Daemon is the younger brother of King Viserys, and is said to be "a peerless warrior and a dragonrider, Daemon possesses the true blood of the dragon. But it is said that whenever a Targaryen is born, the gods toss a coin in the air…"
Of course, that last part refers to the widely held belief that every Targaryen has the potential to become consumed by madness. Does that dark fate await Prince Daemon?
House of the Dragon will be set 300 years before the events of Game of Thrones, and will tell the epic story of the monumental rise and tragic fall of the legendary House Targaryen. Paddy Considine (Dead Man's Shoes, The World's End) will play the lead role of King Viserys Targaryen, and along with Smith, he'll be joined by Olivia Cooke (Ready Player One) as Alicent Hightower, and Emma D'Arcy (Truth Seekers) as Princess Rhaenyra Targaryen.
House of the Dragon is being developed as a 10-episode first season, co-created by George R.R. Martin and Ryan Condal (Colony). Condal also wrote the script with Sara Lee Hess, and will serve as co-showrunner alongside Miguel Sapochnik. The latter will direct the pilot and additional episodes.
Production is scheduled to kick off early next year.
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Mark Cassidy is a writer, photographer, amateur filmmaker, and Rotten Tomatoes-approved critic from Dublin, Ireland.